Author Luis Urrea uses family stories to add color to writing

As an adolescent in San Diego, Calif., Urrea discovered a love of words, primarily as expressed by musical heroes Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan.

“I started out as a kid really wanting to be Johnny Cash or Jim Morrison or something, so I was writing poetry a lot,” Urrea said. “Then I started writing stories.

“I didn’t really understand that poetry and fiction and nonfiction were different disciplines,” he said. “I felt like it was my responsibility as a writer to learn about all these different disciplines. ... I’ve learned as a professional that everyone thinks they’re all these different sciences ... but I always considered them different parts of what I wanted to master.”

And master them he has.

Urrea was a 2005 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in nonfiction for his “The Devil’s Highway.”

He’s also renowned for his novels, including historical works “The Hummingbird’s Daughter” and its sequel “Queen of America,” as well as his award-winning short stories and poetry.

The center will use the event’s proceeds to benefit such programs as child care, services for senior citizens, mentoring for teens, afterschool and summer camp care and youth wrestling.

Such services speak to Urrea, who grew up poor in Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego, the son of a Mexican father and an American mother.

His upbringing and his family history have colored his work from the start — sometimes to his family’s chagrin.

“When you’re from a rough-and-tumble background, there’s a lot of stuff about it that family members feel embarrassed about,” he said. “I grew up with a lot of, oh my gosh, don’t tell anybody about this because it’s so awful. But I realize now it’s pure gold.

“I can talk to any group in any situation anywhere in the world because nothing shocks me,” he said. “I think they like me because they recognize I’m a mongrel.”

Much of his writing has focused on his father’s side of the family, particularly his acclaimed historical novels. But that could be changing.

“I feel like I did a lot of honor to my dad’s side ... and that has really freed me to be able to explore my mom’s side,” Urrea said. “I want to be flexible; I don’t want to be seen as ‘Border Boy’ for the rest of my life.”